Amp Up Your Color

1. Amp Up Your Color

Whether you're going for a subtle change or a shocking transformation, we've rounded up fall's hottest hues to inspire you. The country's top celebrity colorists weighed in on what colors work and how to rev up every shade.

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2. Claire Danes’ Strawberry Blond

Gone are the My So-Called Life days of Claire Danes’s one-dimensional, Crayola-red strands. Now her color still has a touch of strawberry but is considerably lightened. “I love that rosy golden tone,” says Amy Huson, a colorist at the Marie Robinson Salon.

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3. Michelle Williams’ Platinum

Almost white-platinum on the sides and a tad darker on the top, Michelle Williams’s hair is a head-turner, with her cut and color perfectly in-sync. “Platinum hair always looks better when it’s shorter and edgier,” says stylist Rita Hazan.

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4. Blake Lively’s Rich Golden Blond

Hello, Old Hollywood! Big blond waves like Blake Lively’s have always been glamorous starlet material, but “the honey blond is a great way to tone down a lighter blond for fall,” says Huson.

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5. Emma Stone’s Pale Blond

Though she’s not a natural redhead, Emma Stone became known for her “gorgeous, natural-looking red hair,” says stylist Tracy Cunningham — so when Stone's colorist took Emma blond, the look had a lot to live up to. Thankfully, it did. “Now her blond is amazing too,” says Cunningham.

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6. Connie Britton’s Face-Framing Highlights

Connie Britton’s hair is darker at the crown and underneath, with lighter highlights from her eyes to her chin, drawing attention to her gorgeous face (Texas forever!). To transition too-summery blond to fall “Try sun-kissed highlights in a slightly deeper golden tone, and richen up your base under the highlights,” says Huson.

8. Mila Kunis’s Two-Tone Espresso

Mila Kunis’s hair is a rich brown throughout, with a deeper espresso shade at the crown that graduates to a slightly warmer, lighter shade from her cheekbones to the ends—and it’s glossy throughout. “The richer the brunette shade, the better it looks,” says Huson.

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9. Kate Middleton’s Dark Toffee

Your can’t argue with Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge’s sartorial choices — or her haircolor. It’s a great step for those with dirty blond or light brown hair to look less summery. “Simply tone down one to two shades darker and warmer.” says Hazan. “You’ll be in your same color family but with more fall-appropriate tones.”

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10. Emmy Rossum’s Chestnut with Highlights

The easiest way to bring a little of that sun-kissed summer spirit to fall is with very thin, natural-looking highlights (no skunk streaks!), like the lighter strands that make Emmy Rossum’s chestnut hair look multi-dimensional. “Have your colorist add a variety of warmer browns and beiges,” says Cunningham.

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11. Michelle Dockery’s Dark Chocolate Brown

As Lady Mary, Michelle Dockery likes to try new things (hello, hunky Turkish house guest!) and the same goes for her dark chocolate curls. It’s easy to achieve the same saturated color. “Deep, rich brunette shades are trending for fall. You can still stay close to your same color—just deepen the tone a little,” says Huson.

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12. Debra Messing’s Dark Auburn

A uniform dark wash of auburn like Debra Messing’s is playful (think Lucille Ball) yet still sophisticated. And a red dye job won’t be out of style come spring. “Reds are always great, year round,” says Huson.

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13. Ashley Greene’s Cinnamon Highlights

Have you always hankered to try red but worried it would overwhelm you? Take a hint from Ashley Greene and integrate red highlights — you’ll get the vibrancy of red while maintaining your brunette base color, which “makes for a nice overall cinnamon shade,” says Hazan.

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14. Christina Hendricks’ Ruddy Ginger

Christina Hendricks is known for her curves being va-va-voom — and so is her hair, perfectly coiffed on Mad Men or in loose waves in real life. Since this rich red is hard to maintain when you’re swimming in the ocean and chlorinated pools, fall is the perfect time to try it. “Now that you don’t have to worry about the sun fading your red too much, you can go for bolder a more vibrant tone,” says Huson.

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15. Julianne Moore’s Deep Strawberry

As the author of children's book Strawberry Freckleface, Julianne Moore knows a thing or two about how perfectly deep red hair pairs with a porcelain complexion. But styling matters, too. “Redheads look incredibly romantic and sexy with loose waves,” says Hazan.But styling matters too.

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16. Lucy Liu’s Multidimensional Black Waves

Straight black hair can look typical, so Lucy Liu spices up her style with voluminous waves and multidimensional color that come from subtle highlights. “Too-light highlights are obvious and stripey on black hair,” says Huson. Cunningham agrees: “The best highlight for flat black hair is a dark brown. It provides that much-sought multi-dimensional look.”

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17. Kelly Rowland’s Soft Black Curls

Just a shade darker than a deep espresso brown, Kelly Rowland’s rich color is what a mascara company might call “soft black.” It looks natural and low-maintenance, and the soft, touchable-looking curls help play up her color. “Your hair color can be interesting, but without a great style, no one will be paying attention. Put some effort into your hair this season,” says Cunningham.

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18. Krysten Ritter’s Blunt Jet-Black

Krysten Ritter’s black shade is deep and super-saturated, which in combination with her blunt-cut bangs really play up her green eyes. Make your strands a similarly drastic shade of shiny, opaque black with a single-process treatment — and skip the highlights. “I actually think black hair is better left without highlights. It’s shiner and makes a more dramatic statement,” says Hazan.

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19. Jessica Biel’s Brunette-to-Blond Ombré

Stylist Cunnigham crowns Jessica Biel’s honey-tipped chestnut brown locks “the best brunette of the season.” Beachy and natural, her hair looks sun-kissed long after the sun sets on summer, yet the rich acorn tone on the top three-quarters makes it perfectly appropriate for fall. Instead of the lighter shade originating at the top of her head, it comes from underneath, behind her ears, as if her hair is lit from within.

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20. Selena Gomez’s Bold Ombré Streaks

“Rich, warm browns and blonds are trending colors for fall,” says Hazan. And like Selena Gomez, you can wear them both at once—it’s especially easy if you’re naturally brunette. Start with a base color that’s a rich overall brown with warm undertones, then add light with blond streaks; Selena’s frame her face and continue down to the ends.

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21. Alexa Chung’s Gradual Fade

“Ombre is still popular for fall, but as the weather cools, the shades tend to warm,” says Cunningham. You won’t be able to see a line of demarcation where Alexa Chung’s chestnut brown hair turns a slightly lighter shade of toffee in this more subtle style of ombre. That’s because the colors are so similar and gradually blend into each other, with the fade starting at the bottom of her chin.
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Amp Up Your Color

Whether you're going for a subtle change or a shocking transformation, we've rounded up fall's hottest hues to inspire you. The country's top celebrity colorists weighed in on what colors work and how to rev up every shade.